Black Hair Care in Doha

Maybe this will help a sister moving to the area. My Black Hair Care in Koreapost remains my most popular to date with thousands of views. We have to stay cute :)

As always, I invested in a shower filter as a precautionary to any potential, harmful elements in the water here. This was one of the first items I purchased here and I'd advise you do the same, don't wait for skin or hair issues to show up. Just get it, the pharmacies usually have the brand I purchased below.

Salons:

Embellie is my go-to spot when I absolutely can't be bothered with my hair. They do good but very basic work. Most of the stylists are from East Africa, so they're skilled in afro textured hair. Since there are so few salons here that cater to our texture, they are on the expensive side compared to what you might be used to back home. As of this posting, a basic wash 'n set will run you 200 QAR or $54USD. They do offer small discounts for U.S. military and employees of some flagship companies.

My "before" shot at Embellie. Next time I'll remember to post an "after"
I look completely different!

Disclaimer: I came here from Atlanta; you're not going to find any shops here that do anything they can do in ATL. For the most part I do my own hair, but when I don't feel like it, I go see Victoria at Embellie. Unfortunately Embellie doesn't post much of their own work on their social media accounts, probably for cultural reasons, but they're the most popular salon for afro textured hair in Doha. Of the half dozen times that I've gone since my arrival in August, they were always busy. Next time I go I'll try to remember to take a pic of my hair. I've had a cut, color and blow out when I wore straight hair. I do wash and gos now, so I just go for steam treatments monthly.

Argan Salon is known for loc and sisterloc maintenance. According to their FB reviews, the hairstylists are from the Caribbean.

Glow American Salon also has some ladies on staff that are experienced in afro textured hair care. How experienced, I can't say first hand, but read their bios and make your choice. I hear they do a good job on acrylic and gel nails in there, too, but appointments are hard to come by, specifically at the Lagoon location.

Roots Salon has received some glowing reviews from some of the sisters here, but I heard they use a lot of heat.

There are a handful of hair braiders here. I've used Stella's services, and she seems to be the most popular. She and her assistant are fast. Stella's IG

Ask around before committing to someone; experiences have widely varied.

Stella did my braids for Sri Lanka

Online ordering options:

I'm reiterating that you're better off bringing your favorite products in bulk-whether you're natural or relaxed-ship them or pack them in your luggage. Even before the blockade shipping was very expensive and slow to the region.

I just ordered some Eco Styler gel, JBCO and Aphoghee products fromPak Cosmeticsin the UK. They have just about every familiar brand for Black hair care. It took about two weeks for me to receive the package. If anything you order from anywhere arrives here within 10-14 days you're in good shape. Shipping cost me a couple dollars more than my total order, which sucked, but I was desperate. I don't have the patience to set up an Aramex account to get things sent from Amazon but lots of people do this. Save yourself the trouble and bring enough products to last a year.Elevate Stylesships to Qatar. It also takes about 2 weeks to get your order.

Based on experience I do not like nor fool with Ali Express, but I'm sure you can find a vendor that delivers here.

If the blockade ever lifts, there are some online ordering options in UAE, but those are not available to us as of this posting.

Products and/or alternatives found in Qatar:

This gel is semi clutch for keeping my twist outs crispy. It aint Eco Styler but it served its purpose. This was the only gel I found that didn't have an overpowering smell of alcohol, and was thick enough for my liking. I don't like pefumey smelling products, but this one might smell good to someone. Worth a try if you like products that provide hold without caking. It held me over until my shipment arrived.

My hair likes these conditioners, I discovered the brands at Boots pharmacy.

I co-wash a lot with this one, very creamy.

Pricey but very good deep conditioner.

They also have Garnier Fructis, regular Pantene, Dove and other basic brands. If you're a fan of Indian hair products, they have Amla, too.

Nazih Trading is a salon supply company with a few locations around Doha. I purchased a hair drying brush and Creme of Nature leave-in here. They supply the beauty salons, so you'll find a few other items like flexi rods, conditioning caps, nail polish, combs, etc. there also.

I don't know if I'd suggest bringing your own dryer. The voltage here is higher than the one in the USA. My USA-bought flat iron works just fine with an adapter, though, so there's that.

Inside Nazih

I purchased the dryer brush from Nazih Trading for 199 QAR.
Purchased the Philips dryer with diffuser from Carrefour for 70 QAR. It also has the regular nozzle.

Purchased at Nazih, can't remember the price.
Olive Oil glosser in the background purchased from Carrefour.

A lot of sisters make their own products here, too. The Souq has a few vendors that sell shea butter, virgin oils and the like. There are a few resources posted on the Brothas & Sistas of Qatar facebook page.

I'll update this post as I find out more information. If you live in the area and I missed something that might be helpful to someone feel free to drop a line in the comments.